Alzheimer’s Solution Begins In Your Stomach
Alzheimer’s disease plagues more than 850,000 people, in the UK alone. And, according to the results of the latest study, 1-in-3 new-borns will suffer with dementia later in life…
Researchers believe this increased risk is all down to the fact that Britain has an ageing population and that Big Pharma is yet to come up with a drug to treat dementia.
Forget me not
The researchers at Alzheimer’s Research UK call it a ‘looming national health crisis’ and warn that girls born today are at a 10 per cent higher risk of developing dementia later in life, compared to boys of a similar age whose risk is 27 per cent.
Dr. Matthew Norton, head of policy at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “Dementia is our greatest medical challenge and, if we are to beat it, we must invest in research to find new treatments and preventions.”
You and I both know that these “treatments and preventions” will certainly not involve alternative healthy breakthroughs, developing policies to clampdown on junk food manufacturers, curtailing the use of pesticides and the over-prescription of antibiotics.
That’s the sad thing about the mainstream. Researchers are sweating away in laboratories trying to develop new drugs that will supposedly treat and prevent Alzheimer’s (note: they’ve not come up with anything yet), while the clues for the increase in the number of dementia sufferers are right under their noses… and they are being ignored!
Things like:
- The Modern Diet: Laden with sugar, artificial sweeteners, preservatives and hydrogenated fats, the Modern Diet has a massive impact on our digestive health. In fact, research suggests a powerful connection between your diet and your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, which develops via similar pathways that cause type 2 diabetes. In fact, Alzheimer’s disease has been dubbed “Type 3 Diabetes” by experts at the forefront of diabetes and dementia research.
- The over-prescription of antibiotics: Antibiotics are known to destroy healthy gut bacteria, which has a knock-on effect on your gut health and body’s defences.
- Pesticides linked to brain dysfunction: Mounting evidence is showing a steep increase in the prevalence of dementia correlating with an increase of pesticide use. One of the most commonly used insecticides, Bacillus thuringiensis (BT), has been linked to autism, behavioural problems, Crohn’s disease, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and gastrointestinal disorders.
- The link between pollution and the increased risk of Alzheimer’s: A recent study of more than 900 adults found that those living near major roads suffered cerebral shrinkage and had an increased dementia risk. Recent research also suggested that inhaling fine particles, or soot, may disrupt the immune system and trigger inflammation in the gut by altering the delicate bacterial balance inside your stomach.
Looking at the evidence, the root of the problem clearly lies in our stomachs.
In fact, researchers have found that the bacterial environment in the gut has a direct impact on brain activity and that the composition of your gut bacteria at birth and in early childhood shapes your brain development – meaning a mother’s diet during pregnancy has a direct impact on a child’s gut and brain health.
This suggests that gut bacteria play a role in childhood brain developmental disorders. Adding to that, a study at the University of California showed that the daily consumption of probiotics improved brain function while in a resting state as well as during an emotion-recognition task.
It makes sense that our children are at an increased risk of losing their precious memories and mental function. And Modern Life – a problem we helped create – is the driving force behind it.
But it can be fixed… without drugs (and more money being pumped into research that is leading us nowhere). Here are some simple lifestyle changes you can make, starting today, to help protect your brain:
- Avoid sugar and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS): Ideally, you’ll want to keep your total sugar and fructose below 25 grams per day, or as low as 15 grams per day if you have insulin resistance or any related disorders. In one recent animal study, a junk food diet high in sugar resulted in impaired memory after just one week! Place recognition (As in “Where the hell am I?”), was specifically adversely affected.
- Avoid gluten and casein (primarily wheat and pasteurized dairy, but not dairy fat, like butter): Research shows that your blood-brain barrier, the barrier that keeps things out of your brain where they don’t belong, is negatively affected by gluten. Gluten also makes your gut more permeable, which allows proteins to get into your bloodstream, where they don’t belong. That then sensitizes your immune system and promotes inflammation and autoimmunity, both of which play a role in the development of Alzheimer’s.
- Increase consumption of all healthy fats, including animal-based omega-3: Beneficial health-promoting fats that your brain needs for optimal function include organic butter from raw milk (saturated fat), olives, organic virgin olive oil and coconut oil, nuts like pecans and macadamia, free-range eggs, salmon and avocado.
- Optimize your gut flora by regularly eating fermented foods or taking a high-potency and high-quality probiotic supplement.
- Eat blueberries: Wild blueberries, which have a high anthocyanin and antioxidant content, are known to guard against Alzheimer’s and other neurological diseases.
- Supplement with B vitamins – folic acid, B6 and B12 – that are known to improve mental abilities in those who already show signs of memory problems and cognitive decline.
- Follow a Mediterranean diet that has been shown to help those already suffering with Alzheimer’s. Numerous studies have shown it not only decreases the risk of full-blown Alzheimer’s disease for people who are already showing early signs, but even for those who are healthy! Traditionally the Mediterranean diet includes lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, fish and small amounts of meat and milk, not too many sweets, and healthy fats – mostly the kind found in olive oil and fish.
Bear in mind all the material in this email alert is provided for information purposes only. We are not addressing anyone’s personal situation. Please consult with your own physician before acting on any recommendations contained herein.
Sources:
Secret behind why Alzheimer ??s patients cannot make new memories discoveredSarah Knapton, June 13, 2014, The Telegraph, telegraph.co.uk
More data on diet and dementiaBret S. Stetka, MD, Richard S. Isaacson, MD, Hilary P. Glazer, MD, June 4, 2014, Medscape, Medscape.com
Probiotics Are One of the Best Memory Supplements, published online 09.09.15, naturalhealthadvisory.com
“Mayo Clinic Highlights Possible Diabetes Alzheimer’s Connection, MedicalNewsToday.com, 5 May 2007, medicalnewstoday.com
Probiotic Bacteria Beneficial For Brain Function, published online, 29.05.13, medicalnewstoday.com
Pesticide-Induced Diseases: Alzheimer’s Disease, published online, beyondpesticides.org
Air pollution could increase risk of dementia, published online 23.04.15, telegraph.co.uk
